tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68677866294554994512024-03-12T21:27:02.077-07:00The Status QuoLindsay's guide to vegetarian cooking, beginning running, drinking, and life in general.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-42459170160387154542009-12-31T12:41:00.000-08:002009-12-31T12:48:46.455-08:002010 AlreadyI've been gone a long time, but I've been inspired to return. The past two months have been really busy, so having a couple of weeks off for the holidays has been fabulous.<br /><br />Two major events are about to occur in my life: buying our first home and getting married. Stupidly, we are taking on both of these little projects at about the same time: we hope to close on a house by the end of June, and then are planning a 2011 wedding (thank you, stimulus money!). We are embarking on both adventures more abnormally than our peers, I believe, which has made things interesting. <br /><br />First, the house. Since we live in the Seattle area, the cost of living is high. Any house in our budget will inevitably need quite a bit of updating, but we're excited about that. We're both totally nerdy in that we fantasize about all of the awesome home projects we get to embark on once we are home owners. Hello, sweat equity!<br /><br />Secondly, the wedding. I'm not a typical bride at all. Just the idea of wedding planning kind of makes me want to barf a little. And I want to keep our budget to $15K while having an open bar. Luckily, we have found a few promising venues that may allow us to achieve that.<br /><br />So, I'll be deviating from running and cooking for awhile most likely. Just a heads up.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-71117604584487909912009-10-22T19:31:00.000-07:002009-10-22T19:31:45.189-07:00Half marathon 2.0 trainingI haven't posted about running in forever, but I've totally kept up with it (at least over the past two months), amazingly. <div> </div><br /><div>After the Seattle Rock N' Roll half marathon at the end of June, I pretty much stopped running for two months. It was a nice break, but not recommended. It's not like I was planning to stop, it's just that my rest week turned into a rest month, and whenever you stop running for more than two weeks, you are pretty much screwing yourself. Valuable lesson: don't totally stop running if you ever plan to do it again! Just run a few miles two times a week, that's all it takes! The idea is just to keep yourself reasonably fit and maintain your running endurance.</div><div> </div><br /><div>So, after a painful few weeks of getting the ol' gears turning again, the long runs commenced with five miles on Oct. 3rd. We just did seven this past weekend, and freakishly all three long runs so far have gone pretty well! I remember in the spring every long run felt never-ending and occasionally tortuous. Maybe I retained some of my endurance? One can only hope.</div><div> </div><br /><div>During the week I'm doing 2-3 short runs, at a minimum of three miles in length, at my goal race pace. I'm working my way up to four mile short runs, and right now I'm around 3.4. Ultimately, I'd like every short run for the three final weeks to be four miles in length. </div><div> </div><div>For this upcoming race, I'm using this training time to tweak some things I missed last time. The biggest is my water consumption: I just don't really like drinking it when I'm running, and that's why I got dehydrated at the end of the race in June. Now, I'm trying to make my long runs simulate the race better, and forcing myself to drink more. That means I need a bigger water belt, because currently I can only carry 8oz. Oh, damn, have to go shopping. </div><div> </div><br /><div>I'm also going to experiment replace Clif Shot Blocks with Nerds, because it seems like those will pretty much achieve the same thing and I'll be much more enthusiastic about consuming them. I'll keep you updated.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.candy.org/nerdsvariety.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 290px;" src="http://www.candy.org/nerdsvariety.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-8413893199085867412009-10-20T19:49:00.000-07:002009-10-20T20:03:29.073-07:00Vegan Table: reviewedMy latest cookbook acquisition is <a href="http://www.vegantable.com/">The Vegan Table</a>, procured during our weekend jaunt to Portland. I've already cooked two recipes from it (the tofu-spinach lasagna pictured and butternut squash risotto with toasted sage), and am pumped to try out some more!<br /><br />I've been a fan of Colleen's podcasts for about two years now; she's got a ton of great cooking and general lifestyle tips. This book is pretty unique in that the recipes are organized based on gathering type, and then further subdivided into seasonal menus. It's really nice to have pairing suggestions for recipes, just in case I don't feel like thinking about it, and I'm told what works well for big groups.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/St53Hk9WqwI/AAAAAAAAAIY/p0_cWy4Qpr4/s1600-h/IMG_1131.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 197px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/St53Hk9WqwI/AAAAAAAAAIY/p0_cWy4Qpr4/s320/IMG_1131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394880375700237058" border="0" /></a><br />The butternut squash risotto was my first foray into risotto cookery, and I was fairly successful. Risotto is very time-consuming, so I don't think I'll be making it that often. After all, 25 minutes of constant stirring isn't really my idea of fun. However, I was very pleased with the final result (though I couldn't resist tweaking it a bit by adding caramelized onion). The lasagna turned out great and was super simple - it is now my go-to lasagna recipe, since it's really easy to modify. I LOVE that to make her tofu ricotta you just throw everything in a blender! And it's mixed with enough spinach that it's not really tofu-y.<br /><br />Overall: great buy, and I'm excited to see what other treasures this book contains!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-34208346125684931082009-10-19T20:09:00.000-07:002009-10-19T20:21:53.045-07:00Queso-less Quesadillas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/St0sRo9o6NI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/7yMN-hrVnbg/s1600-h/IMG_1112.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 177px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/St0sRo9o6NI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/7yMN-hrVnbg/s320/IMG_1112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394516610225072338" border="0" /></a>So I made these as a quick weeknight dinner and they turned out brilliantly! Mashed sweet potato (bake first for an hour in a 350F oven, wrapped in foil) provided a creamy binder and replaced the customary cheese. I sauteed some pepper and onions for few minutes, then added some pinto beans and cumin to round out the filling.<br /><br />Now, the <span style="font-size:100%;">pièce de résistance was the fresh pineapple salsa to accompany the quesadillas. It was just diced pineapple, diced fresh tomato, a little bit of onion, and cilantro (I used the Dorat frozen cubes, from Trader Joe's, this time). Allow to mellow in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and you're good to go.<br /></span>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-53973978086191779722009-10-14T19:29:00.000-07:002009-10-14T19:55:41.527-07:00Breakfasting in autumn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/StaJNx4LLjI/AAAAAAAAAHo/6tX0CROlSjk/s1600-h/IMG_1082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/StaJNx4LLjI/AAAAAAAAAHo/6tX0CROlSjk/s320/IMG_1082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392648473643003442" border="0" /></a>I adore owning a waffle maker! Here is a pretty picture of the <a href="http://www.theppk.com/vegan-brunch.html">Vegan Brunch </a>corn waffles I made a few weeks ago. Good, but not great. I think I need to play around with the temperature settings on our new waffle maker, and maybe slightly increase the flour/corn meal ratio. However, I really liked the addition of corn meal into the waffle batter, especially with the organic blueberry compote I made! Basically I just dumped a pint of blueberries in a saucepan with some sugar and cornstarch and stirred continuously, for about five minutes after it started getting hot and bubbly. Mmmmmm....... I wish tomorrow was the weekend.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-9912949029758517542009-10-12T14:58:00.001-07:002009-10-12T15:16:23.352-07:00Wayward Cafe - Seattle<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/StOpxb4AgyI/AAAAAAAAAHg/dAufepGzZ4A/s1600-h/wayward.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391839845653971746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 357px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 263px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/StOpxb4AgyI/AAAAAAAAAHg/dAufepGzZ4A/s320/wayward.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Since I found myself in the U-District on Friday, I decided to try the <a href="http://www.waywardvegancafe.com/">Wayward Cafe</a>, a reputable Seattle vegan restaurant. I'm so glad I did, because it was magical.<br /></div><div></div><div>They automatically get props, just for the selection alone. Even in Seattle it's often difficult to be a vegetarian at alot of restaurants, so having an entire menu that is not only vegan, but also sounds GOOD is impressive. I got a half order of the biscuits and gravy (one biscuit) with sausage, plus a side of homefries, because I completed a six-mile long run an hour before and was famished. Well, I'm really glad I got a half order because it was HUGE! Basically a CD-sized herb biscuit split in half, with a sausage patty on either side smothered in mushroom gravy. Everything was fresh and delicious, exactly how you would want it to taste.It's a really laid-back vibe, which I like alot - not too much hipster presence. There of course were a bunch of UW students in their perfectly thick trendy glasses, skinny jeans, and plaid shirts, but they weren't too annoying and I'm willing to deal with them if it means I get to eat Wayward's awesome food.</div><div> </div><div>AND it's not over-priced! My food was less than $8 before I left them $2 for tip. If you find yourself in that part of Seattle, hit up Wayward!</div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-32150453794037457972009-10-08T19:10:00.000-07:002009-10-08T19:25:46.437-07:00Word of the Day: Bake!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Ss6eEHhzy8I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/wFDvigwnN44/s1600-h/ethelSnow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 216px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Ss6eEHhzy8I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/wFDvigwnN44/s320/ethelSnow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390419597586582466" border="0" /></a>As in, "bake sale" and "bake-un."<br /><br />Currently my oven is preheating to a cozy 350F (oh it just beeped!) so I can throw in some chocolate chip cookies. Tomorrow I'll be zipping up to the U-District to drop off my little creations at <a href="http://www.sidecarforpigspeace.com/main/index.html">Sidecar for Pigs Peace</a> for a bake sale they will be throwing Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm. All proceeds from the sale will benefit <a href="http://pigspeace.org/main/index.html">Pigs Peace Sanctuary</a>, which as you may guess, owns the store and everything you buy there helps the sanctuary as well! So, if you live in the Seattle area, stop by this weekend to get a cookie and do a little grocery shopping for vegetarian essentials - it's for a good cause so you practically HAVE to!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Ss6eobTFa-I/AAAAAAAAAHY/MolhUUY0KI4/s1600-h/BaconBaconPK.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 96px; height: 164px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Ss6eobTFa-I/AAAAAAAAAHY/MolhUUY0KI4/s320/BaconBaconPK.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390420221368822754" border="0" /></a><br />Secondly, awhile back my mom gave me a shaker of <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/Cultures/en-US/Products/BaconBacon159106.htm?CatalogNavigationBreadCrumbs=ClientCatalog%3bDipMixesSpicesSalsas&ShowTop=true">Bacon Bacon</a>, from Tastefully Simple. Basically it's a food company that does parties in people's houses to sell stuff, in the manner of Tupperware, Party Lite, and Pure Romance. My mom bought this because she felt like she HAD to buy something, and it turned out these are the best bac'un bits EVER! They're $8.99/bottle, so they'd better be. Seriously, if you have the opportunity get your paws on these! You won't believe it's vegetarian, and I guarantee you could fool meat-eaters!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-16353532674709016362009-10-06T19:29:00.001-07:002009-10-06T19:51:02.161-07:00Tropical Explosion TuesdayI loathe Tuesdays. I have ever since middle school, when I figured out that they usually fall when you are already ready for the weekend, yet it feels the the work/school week will go on forever. The fresh motivation of Monday is long gone. Fridays are obviously always great, because you've already checked out by noon, and Thursdays have that great energy of getting lots done to wrap up your week and the anticipation of the weekend. Tuesdays are the red-headed stepchild of the work week. Plus, crappy things tend to happen. Today was no exception - I left my gym clothes at home on accident, so my lunch break was spent driving back and forth - 40 minutes round trip. BUT there was a little nugget of goodness in my day: the amazing dinner I had the forethought to make on Sunday!<br /><br />You see, Sunday I kind of went into domestic-goddess-on-crack mode, which I do from time to time. I made enough food for about five meals, much of which we are consuming over the course of this week. This was one of the dishes I crafted. It was modified from a recipe in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Healthy-Wholesome-Recipes-Chosen/dp/0760749531">this book</a>, my collegiate cooking staple. I served it with quinoa and grilled pineapple, and it was purely orgasmic. And, as a pleasant surprise - really really healthy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SswBWbesQqI/AAAAAAAAAHI/RGwQYCoXGd8/s1600-h/IMG_1099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SswBWbesQqI/AAAAAAAAAHI/RGwQYCoXGd8/s400/IMG_1099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389684338900877986" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lindsay's Jamaican Black Bean Pot<br /></span><br />Ingredients<br />-2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or rehydrated equivalent)<br />-2 T. olive oil<br />-1 c. onion, chopped<br />-2 garlic cloves, chopped<br />-2 t. mustard powder<br />-1.5 T. molasses (use 1 T. if you use blackstrap)<br />-3 T. brown sugar<br />-2 t. dried thyme<br />-1 t. dried chili flakes<br />-1 red bell pepper, chopped<br />-1 big-ass sweet potato, diced<br />-1/2 c. veggie broth or water<br />-S & P<br /><br />1. Preheat the oven to 350 F<br />2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over med-low heat and add the onion and garlic. Sautee for five minutes, until softened - no browning/burning!<br />3. Add the spices, molasses, and sugar. Cook for one minute, stirring to thoroughly combine everything. Stir in the black beans until combined, then dump everything in a nice casserole dish (ideally with a lid).<br />3. Stir in the pepper and sweet potato and mix well. Add the veggie broth, cover with lid or foil, and cook for 45 minutes.<br /><br />Serve with a tasty grain (I highly recommend quinoa, or brown rice) and grilled pineapple or peaches.<br /><br />Here's how I grilled my pineapple: slice yourself some fresh pineapple rings about 1" thick, then cut those in half. Brush both sides of each slice with some oil. Place on a pre-heated grill (about medium heat), arranged for optimal grill marks. It's key to make sure the grill isn't on full-blast, because you kind of want to slow cook the fruit to allow the sugars to caramelize. Leave alone for about five minutes, then come back and turn. After another five minutes, you're done!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-58518432022208571252009-10-04T20:47:00.001-07:002009-10-05T09:22:03.097-07:00Autumn = Awesome Soup-Making Time!Yesterday I decided to dig through my lesser-used cookbooks and find some new recipes to jazz up this week's meals. I happened upon my old college favorite, my B&N vegetarian baragin bin cookbook. There's not too many earth-shattering recipes in here, but everything is really solid and there are loads of full-color photos, which is always fun.<br /><br />Since it's autumn, and that means squash season, I went with a roasted root vegetable soup featuring the always tasty butternut squash. I tweaked the book's recipe a bit, so here's a general breakdown of how I created my masterpiece.<br /><br />Cube, toss in olive oil, and roast the following in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, turning a few times to ensure even cooking:<br />-(1) butternut squash<br />-(2) turnips<br />-(1) parsnip<br />-(1) onion<br />-1 c. baby carrots<br /><br />To make the flavors really pop, tuck in some sprigs of rosemary and thyme before baking. Sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper. Also, make sure everything is spread out in a single layer and not too crowded - I had to use two baking sheets to achieve this.<br /><br />Right before the veggies are done, bring about 6 cups of veggie or chik'n broth to a boil. Add veggies, and lower to a simmer for about 10 minutes. THEN the best part! Blend everything with your trusty immersion blender. You might have to add a little more broth/water to get the consistency you like. Afterward, I added about 1/2 c. soy creamer for added creaminess. I also had to add about 1-2 t. of salt, but I understand not everyone is a salt fiend like me, so adjust to your preference.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SslslKJ7XfI/AAAAAAAAAG4/lnzpzOoKnO8/s1600-h/IMG_1086.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388957814762462706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 334px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SslslKJ7XfI/AAAAAAAAAG4/lnzpzOoKnO8/s320/IMG_1086.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Yummmm. Is it really possible to take an appetizing picture of soup that looks like this? Oh well, use your imagination. Considering there was a thin layer of ice on my windshield this morning, this will be a delicious Monday lunch!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-73973697270662525552009-10-04T20:11:00.000-07:002009-10-04T20:46:15.962-07:00Southern cooking theme nightHere's a random dinner that came together surprisingly well, given that I didn't really have anything planned in advance. We had red chard and green beens that needed to get used, plus a pot of white beans that had just completed cooking. I turned all of that into Southern theme night! Themes are the best. Plus, we're from Michigan and now live in Seattle, so we don't even have to pretend that we know what real Southern food looks and tastes like. Add a little hot sauce, serve with cornbread, and you're good to go!<br /><br /><div> </div>I ended up making <a href="http://www.theppk.com/vegan-brunch.html">Vegan Brunch</a>'s chorizo sausages as the centerpiece of the meal for the first time, and was really impressed. I've made <a href="http://www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=109">Julie Hasson's seitan sausages</a> before, but I must say the addition of mashed beans plus the perfect spice combo made this batch the best homemade saus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SslrkOJrjNI/AAAAAAAAAGw/4BHy4CswWnU/s1600-h/IMG_1056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 218px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SslrkOJrjNI/AAAAAAAAAGw/4BHy4CswWnU/s320/IMG_1056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388956699143670994" border="0" /></a>age I've ever had (I used the aforementioned white beans instead of pinto - pretty sure it doesn't matter). Luckily I doubled the recipe so we have a bunch in the freezer now! After steaming, I browned them in a pan for a few minutes. Right before I took them off the heat, I stirred in a sauce comprised of about .5 c water, .25 c BBQ sauce, and .25 c hot wing sauce. That was just enough to give the "meat" a nice, saucy quality....<br /><div> </div><br /><div>....which was what I was going for because when you make CORNBREAD you need something to sop up! I love cornbread. And <a href="http://www.theppk.com/nomicon.html">Veganomicon</a>'s recipe is my favorite, because it tastes great and is too freakin' easy.<br /><br />And I'm sorry all my pictures are kind of crappy....I've had my camera for about seven years and I refuse to get a new one as long as it is still alive. Plus, it gets dark way too early this time of year!<br /></div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-21794078266529354632009-10-01T07:41:00.001-07:002009-10-01T19:32:05.110-07:00First MoFo post, and it's about tea<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SsTnF3ZtoiI/AAAAAAAAAGg/8eW_gv9HdRQ/s1600-h/vegan+mofo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387685142199116322" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 75px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SsTnF3ZtoiI/AAAAAAAAAGg/8eW_gv9HdRQ/s320/vegan+mofo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Alright, so I need to get back on track with blogging, and Vegan MoFo sounds like the perfect time to do so! I'm going to try my best to post something every weekday for the month of October.</div><br /><div>Today's post, since I'm consuming it right now: tea! I've always liked it, and am trying to get back into it <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sippingstreams.com/tea_leaves.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 132px;" src="http://www.sippingstreams.com/tea_leaves.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>more. While I may not drink it every single day, when I do I am a total tea snob - NEVER from a bag (there's actually <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_tea#Carcinogens_in_tea_bags">a good reason to avoid bags</a>), and generally it's not something boring like Earl Grey. It's really about the same price as buying tea bags (well, tea bags of reasonable quality - Lipton will always be the cheapest but who uses that outside of iced tea?), plus the tea is fresher and you often have many more flavor options. Like right now, for instance: I love <a href="http://www.republicoftea.com/">Republic of Tea's</a> Pomegranate Green tea, but it's super fruity so I cut it with <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.teahaus-annarbor.com">Tea Haus's </a>China Lung Ching, or "Dragon Well." I'm trying to drink mostly green tea because 1) it contains a decent amount of caffeine 2) it has tons of antioxidants and magical powers and 3) I like its taste and can drink alot of it.</div><br /><div>What healthy benefits does tea have exactly, you ask? Ask and you shall recieve: </div><br /><div>Anti-cancer properties<br />Increases metabolic rate</div><div>Possible anti-diabetes effect</div><div>Boosts mental alertness</div><div>Boosts immune system</div><div>Lowers chances of cognitive impairment</div><div>Lowers stress hormone levels</div><div>Therapy for HIV patients</div><div>Reduce inflammation for those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)</div><div>Inhibits growth of bacteria that cause bad breath<br />Helps stop excess iron damage for those with iron overload disorders</div><div>Benefits associated with caffeine</div><div>Effects on obstructive sleep apnea-related brain deficits<br />Helpful in treating bacterial and fungal infections</div><div>Anti-venom effects (!!!!) - can help treat snake bites!</div><div>Reduces the risk of stroke</div><div>Improves Cardiovascular health</div><div>Treatment for Anogenital warts (ew)</div><br /><div>Now, if you drink loose tea you need to invest in a few pieces of equipment. When at home, I use my trusty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/upimg6/Bodum-Assam-Tea-Pot16148.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 138px;" src="http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/upimg6/Bodum-Assam-Tea-Pot16148.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Bodum Assam pot. I love it! While it may seem pricey, these thing hold up super well and do a really good job - and you can just toss everything in the dishwasher when it needs to get cleaned.<br /><br />Work is a little trickier. Sometimes I bring my Bodum pot into work, if I really want alot of tea - like four cups worth. But usually, I use my fun little lollipop-like infuser and a cute vessel - like right now I have 12 oz. tumbler featuring ghosts and other Halloween ghouls. Luckily, w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.productwiki.com/upload/images/mesh_ball_tea_infuser_stainless_steel-400-400.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 120px;" src="http://www.productwiki.com/upload/images/mesh_ball_tea_infuser_stainless_steel-400-400.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>e possess a tap that instantly produces near-boiling water, so I'm all set in that regard. Other alternatives include microwaving or getting an electric kettle, which are neat little items.</div><br /><div></div><div>And one of the biggest benefits for me is that I save a ton of money not running through the Starbucks drive-thru!</div><div> </div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-44758195694322702512009-09-20T19:05:00.000-07:002009-09-20T19:05:51.842-07:00World Spice (not to be confused with Spice World)<div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SrFzibfVEOI/AAAAAAAAAGY/BFChU_-IhpU/s1600-h/world+spice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382210065016361186" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 142px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SrFzibfVEOI/AAAAAAAAAGY/BFChU_-IhpU/s320/world+spice.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This weekend brought me an amazing and unexpected gift: <a href="http://www.worldspice.com/home/home.shtml">World Spice</a> just underneath Pike Place market. I'd heard about it from a Seattle-area PPKer, but never really pursued it. We happened upon it by chance and I am so glad we did!</div><br /><div>It's a supercute, totally packed spice shop where they really encourage you to smell and taste everything. Buying spices in bulk is 100% the way to go than buying them in the grocery store, because your spices are fresher and, more importantly, much cheaper. World Spice has a pretty cool setup where they display 1oz jars of each kind of spice. This is good, because they sell their spices and blends in 1oz increments - this allows you to see how much you are buying. It really illuminates how much you pay for packaging when you buy spices pre-packaged.</div><br /><div>Even if you don't live in the Seattle area, they do sell online. Not sure how the prices and shipping rates compare to Penzey's, but I can assure you they have excellent service. Also, they carry a wide range of salts, which is so cool, including the famed black salt included in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Brunch-Homestyle-Asparagus/dp/0738212725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253143300&sr=8-1">Vegan Brunch</a>'s omelet recipe. Basically, it makes tofu tastes just like eggs, which is creepy yet neat.</div></div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-6762696571972111332009-09-14T12:53:00.001-07:002009-09-16T20:31:01.996-07:00New toys!Boy, oh boy, am I going to have fun in the kitchen this weekend! Not only do we have NOTHING planned Sat/Sun (and it's staying that way!), but I also have a plethora of kitchen items arriving this week, and some that I recently accquired. Best part: they all cost me about $10 total, because I had a ton of gift cards!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.gifts.com/photos/F/N/R/N/FNRNUT6U6SBPZK38EZ4U_L.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 110px; height: 110px;" src="http://cache.gifts.com/photos/F/N/R/N/FNRNUT6U6SBPZK38EZ4U_L.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>From Williams-Sonoma</strong>: pizza stone, pizza peel (wooden cutting board-looking thing you use to get pizzas in/out of the oven), pizza chopper (totally badass, as you can see at right), new spatula, and a waffle maker.<br /><strong>From Amazon:</strong> IMMERSION BLENDER (I have dreamed of this day for so long!), and copies of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetarian-Slow-Cooker-Recipes/dp/1558322566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253142204&sr=1-1">Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker</a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Brunch-Homestyle-Asparagus/dp/0738212725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253142116&sr=8-1">Vegan Brunch</a></em>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/Foto3/PizzaPeelWood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 120px;" src="http://whatscookingamerica.net/Foto3/PizzaPeelWood.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>From random used bookstores in the San Juan Islands</strong> (visited this past weekend w/ the parents): <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Millennium-Cookbook-Extraordinary-Vegetarian-Cuisine/dp/0898158990/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253142428&sr=1-1">Millenium Cookbook</a></em>, <em><a href="http://www.vegofwa.org/books/vegetarian_pacific_northwest.html">Vegetarian PacNW</a></em> (probably somewhat outdate but I'm ok with that), and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Life-Kitchen/dp/0446515612"><em>American Vegetarian Cookbook</em>.</a> Yaaaay!!!!<br /><br />Tentative menu plan:<br />Saturday - cornbread waffles w/ blueberry sauce from <em>VB</em>, pizza of course!, tomato basil soup, and maybe slow-cooked seitan just to see how that works<br />Sunday - chocolate beer waffles from <em>VB</em>, tomato rosemary scones from <em>VB</em> (on the pizza stone), possibly slow cooker pot pie of some sort<br /><br />And tonight I already prepped my first slow-cooked meal from <span style="font-style: italic;">FFVSC: </span>a peanuty, apricoty South African stew. I am so excited to get home from work tomorrow! More excited than usual, in fact.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-16118542121236079232009-08-31T13:57:00.000-07:002009-08-31T19:14:18.824-07:00I want this book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/733/860/9781604860733.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 343px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/733/860/9781604860733.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Spencer, take note. My birthday IS coming up.<br /><br />Not only does <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Food-Manualfesto-Healthy-Eating/dp/1604860731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251759862&sr=8-1">this</a> look like a really cool cookbook, it's written by the founder and former editor of Bitch magazine! Plus, I think it's all vegetarian and vegan, which is even better!<br /><br />Basically, she takes the local/organic food concept and makes it both easy and accessible for us mortals. Let's face it, we all don't live off of farmer's market produce and eggs harvested from our coop out back. However, everyone could benefit from eating food grown closer to home that is in season, because it tastes better and is much better for the planet. <br /><br />And this book is only $8. Go buy it from <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781604860733-0">Powell's</a> if you don't want to support a giant (but Seattle-area!) corporation; it's $10 there, still a bargain for a solid cookbook.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-66906766752893316222009-08-26T08:15:00.000-07:002009-08-26T08:24:47.537-07:00Alive!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SpVTlZDGydI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/PLKuGaUkfS4/s1600-h/ChocolateChipPeanutS.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374293632180734418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SpVTlZDGydI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/PLKuGaUkfS4/s320/ChocolateChipPeanutS.jpg" border="0" /></a>Yes, I suck, haven't blogged in two months. Tons has been happening that is very blog-worthy, but I've been lazy. I think my goal is going to be short burst sort of posts, a few a week. That way, I can put something useful out into the world that isn't work intensive. Set the bar low so you can always come out way over it, right????<br /><div></div><br /><div>Today: Odwalla bar product review.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I love these things. They have great stats for breakfast - I'm not hungry first thing in the morning, so I end up eating my breakfast after I've arrived at work. These are great because they require zero prep, don't smell, and don't make alot of noise when you are eating them (can you tell I work in a cube?!).</div><br /><div></div><div>Specifically, the chocolate chip peanut flavor is EXQUISITE. I'm on board for anything that tastes like a candy bar for breakfast. The stats are perfect for a meal - 230 cals, and a decent amount of fiber and protein. With a banana as my mid-morning snack around 930 or 10, its a perfect morning, food-wise.</div><br /><div></div><div>The downside is that they are crazy expensive, so I usually buy them on sale and stock up. The best price I usually find is $1/ea. Seems high still, but when you figure that's the cost for a meal it's not too bad. </div><br /><div></div><div>BONUS: go to <a href="http://www.healthysnacksdirect.com/">http://www.healthysnacksdirect.com/</a> and use code HGirl20 until 9/15. It's for 20% off, which puts them at exactly $1/ea. Plus they have lots of other good stuff on the site so the discount allows you to stock up on other tasty items!</div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-35229263004178922642009-06-22T07:54:00.000-07:002009-06-22T08:10:11.706-07:00Guacaparagus<a href="http://ayeshahaq.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/avocado.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 235px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://ayeshahaq.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/avocado.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Avocados are awesome. I just really started to appreciate their fabulousness about three years ago, and now I love them. They are full of healthy fats, nutrients, and are an excellent way to feel satisfied without eating junk food. Some fun facts:</div><br /><div>-The Aztec word for avocado was ahuacatl, which means "testicle tree"<br />-Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit.</div><div>-Rudolph Hass, a postman, patented the Hass avocado tree in 1935. The first Hass avocado tree is still alive and producing fruit</div><div>-Avocados contain more potassium than bananas<br /><br />Now, the major drawback to this wrinkly green fruit is the fat and accompanying calorie content. If you normally eat a lowfat diet, its not a big deal, but we can all identify with wanting to trim calories here or there. This recipe is a great way to do that - it combines asparagus and avocado to create a delicious version of guacamole. Awesome with chips or crackers, this is also tasty as a sandwich spread. I found the original version in the Moosewood cookbook, and tweaked it a little for my purposes.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Guacaparagus</strong></div><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div>-1/2 lb asaparagus, with tough ends trimmed off and cut in 1" pieces</div><div>-1 clove garlic, chopped</div><div>-1-2 T lemon juice</div><div>-1/4 c. onion</div><div>-1/2-3/4 ripe avocado</div><div>-1/2 c. fire roasted tomatoes, drained (you can use regular, fresh or canned, if you prefer)</div><div>-Cayenne pepper + hot sauce</div><br /><div>1. Steam the asparagus for 10 minutes, until very tender</div><div>2. Let the asparagus cool a bit, then pulse in a food processor with the lemon juice, onion, and garlic. </div><div>3. Add the avocado, tomatoes, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and some hot sauce to taste (I used about a teaspoon). Blend to desire consistency, and you're all done!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-51736518885062093792009-06-17T15:47:00.000-07:002009-06-17T16:00:26.424-07:00Drinking and running....combined!I've been lazy with blogging (specifically taking interesting pictures of things and writing about them), but I figured I'd throw out a few niblets for your enjoyment.<br /><br />While somewhat disappointing in respect to my post-work and weekend activities, I found this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/health/16alco.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1">NY Times article about the health benefits of alcohol </a>interesting. Basically it questions all of the studies linking moderate drinking to health benefits. Jury's still out.<br /><br />In a similar vein, <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--7908-0,00.html">here is a good Runner's World article </a>about alcohol consumption and running.<br /><br />Lastly, in order to get enough miles to bump me up to Elite status on Northwest I was thinking about doing the <a href="http://las-vegas.competitor.com/">Las Vegas Rock n' Roll half marathon</a>. That is, assuming I don't die running the Seattle one in a WEEK AND A HALF. Oh god, that's coming up really damn fast! Well, I did over a ten-miler this weekend, and one two weeks before that, so I should be good to go. But I'm still slightly terrified.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-44904269929856667642009-05-19T19:22:00.000-07:002009-05-19T19:46:12.294-07:00Our very own garden patch!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/ShNtsTOuJFI/AAAAAAAAAF4/9c8A0YTtzfw/s1600-h/IMG_0987.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/ShNtsTOuJFI/AAAAAAAAAF4/9c8A0YTtzfw/s400/IMG_0987.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337730591207859282" border="0" /></a><br />A few weeks ago we finally planted all of our newly acquired seedlings in our garden out back. I'm so excited! I've never grown my own vegetables, so this is a new experience for me. We planted a few different to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/ShNt0CIU2bI/AAAAAAAAAGA/a8xaRD6qdyM/s1600-h/IMG_0989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 217px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/ShNt0CIU2bI/AAAAAAAAAGA/a8xaRD6qdyM/s320/IMG_0989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337730724056586674" border="0" /></a>mato plants; red, green, and a few kinds of hot peppers; lettuce; snow peas; zucchini, yellow, and acorn squash; an herb garden; and garlic. I also planted a few rows of "fancy" lettuce that is miraculously sprouting. So basically in two months we are going to be FLUSH with produce and it shall be fabulous. I may even have to explore the world of pickling and canning!<br /><br />We've even already started to pick up some good gardening tips and tricks during our short time horticulturing. First of all, Washington has some crazy-ass slugs. They are especially bad in the spring, when it's cool and damp. They are EVERYWHERE in the morning, at night, or when it's rainy out. If you didn't know, slugs really like to eat plants, specifically baby plants. Now, I know the old world slug remedy is to bury a bowl of beer flush with the ground and they will drown..... but I wasn't sure of efficacy of that so I went ahead and purchased good ol' Slug Death. It's a pesticide you sprinkle on the ground - and it WORKS! Not a slug in sight after I applied it. However, out of guilt I may try the beer trick. I'll keep you updated.<br /><br />Additionally, there are a few neighborhood cats 'round these parts, and apparently they decided our garden would make an excellent play area/litter box. I respect their natural desires, however digging up my precious plants is NOT permitted. So I set up a few deterrents where they liked to dig, which seem to be effective. First, I shoved a bunch of stic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/ShNt7tQTQkI/AAAAAAAAAGI/3kp5Atqv_mM/s1600-h/IMG_0988.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 223px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/ShNt7tQTQkI/AAAAAAAAAGI/3kp5Atqv_mM/s320/IMG_0988.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337730855891845698" border="0" /></a>ks into the ground, about 6" tall and 6" apart. The reasoning behind this is it discourages them from digging and/or sitting down in that area. Furthermore, I sprinkled a bunch of homemade chili powder over all of the soil, since I guess they don't like the smell. Cats won't intentionally dig up plants, just the dirt around them, but if you have seeds or bulbs in the ground it could obviously become a problem.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-8400860466693046632009-05-14T19:59:00.000-07:002009-05-14T20:00:52.448-07:00Long runs for beginning runners!I don't know how many beginning runners there are out there working on half or full marathons, but there certainly doesn't seem to be a wealth of information for us out there. Sure, there are training plans for "beginning" runners, if by that you mean you can already run at least 12 miles a week and run 9 or 10 minute miles. As you can imagine, that's a little intimidating for some of us.<br /><div><br />My recommendation for those setting your sights on a longer race (which ANYONE can do, seriously) is to first commit to a 5K. There are a ton of training options available for free online. I'd say three months is a reasonable amount of time for someone to go from not running at all to running a 5K. Not RUNNING, per se, but a nice jog. We're talk between 10 and 12 minute miles, maybe longer, nothing totally insane. When I say running, I mean just being able to keep going without walking. Once you can comfortably run three miles, its much easier to get settled in a long-term training<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/homer_running.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 215px;" src="http://www.burrardstreetblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/homer_running.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> plan.<br /><br />Now, let's say you're like me, and want to do a 10K, and then move on to a half marathon. My method has kind of been a three-month rule: allow yourself three months of training every time you double your goal distance. So, once you can run a 5K, give yourself three months to train for a 10K. Same thing going from a 10K to half marathon. Sure, you could definitely do it faster - but for those of us that aren't naturally talented or lifetime runners, that allows for a week or so of recovery after a race and some tapering, then building back up for the next race. This also helps keep me from getting burnt out - I only run three days per week.<br /><br />I'm currently a month and a half away from my first half marathon, with my goal time of 2:30 (5.25mph pace basically). Here is my tentative running schedule up to the race, starting on Mondays and keeping in mind a few day will get swapped around:<br />Week of May 11: run 3 mi @ 5.4mph, 1 hr strength training, run 3.67mi @5.3mph, 1 hr strength training, spin class, 8 mi long run @ 5mph-ish, rest<br />Week of May 18: run 3 mi @ 5.4mph, 1 hr strength training, run 3.67 mi @5.3mph, 1 hr strength training, spin class, 9 mi long run @ 5mph-ish, rest<br />Week of May 25: run 3.5 mi @ 5.4mph, 1 hr strength training, run 3.75 mi @5.3mph, 1 hr strength training, spin class, 10 mi long run @ 5mph-ish, rest<br />Week of June 1: run 3.5 mi @ 5.4mph, 1 hr strength training, run 3.75 mi @5.3mph, 1 hr strength training, spin class, 10 mi long run @ 5mph-ish, rest<br />Week of June 8: run 3.75 mi @ 5.4mph, 1 hr strength training, run 4 mi @5.3mph, 1 hr strength training, spin class, 11 mi long run @ 5mph-ish, rest<br />Week of June 15: run 4 mi @ 5.4mph, 1 hr strength training, run 4 mi @5.3mph, 1 hr strength training, spin class, 8 mi long run @ 5mph-ish, rest<br />Week of June 22: run 4 mi @ 5.4mph, 1 hr strength training, run 3.75 mi @5.3mph, 1 hr strength training, rest, RACE DAY, rest!!!<br /></div><br /><div> </div><br /><div> </div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-24304816279469385242009-05-04T14:38:00.000-07:002009-05-04T14:48:43.911-07:00A Bizzarrely Happy Monday!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Sf9ioCINLGI/AAAAAAAAAFw/F2UadFYJKsU/s1600-h/jerk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332088923735534690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Sf9ioCINLGI/AAAAAAAAAFw/F2UadFYJKsU/s320/jerk.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I've been productive at work and the day has just flown by - why can't every Monday be like this?!?!</div><br /><div>It was probably helped along by my f'ing awesome lunch - Jerk Seitan from Vegan With a Vengeance! The batch of <a href="http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/recipe.php?RecipeID=112">seitan</a> I made Saturday turned out REALLY good; usually I slack on the kneading and/or don't start with ice cold broth, so my seitan is too soft. This time it was perfectly firm and fabulous. Furthermore, Jerk Seitan is probably on my top 5 list of VWAV recipes. This is an old picture of a dinner I made with it last year, but that's better than my lame plastic container of it that I lunched on.</div><br /><div>Additionally, this weekend we finally began our garden out back, and now I am pumped for our vegetables to come in! I planted some lettuce and zucchini seeds, and we'll be purchasing tomato and pepper plants in a few weeks. In about 20 minutes my friend and I are bustin' out of work to hit a local greenhouse, too! I plan to get my paws on some fresh herbs. Yum yum yum!</div><br /><div>3.5 mile "fast" (equal to or slightly faster than my half marathon goal pace) fun tonight! I did Jillian's 30 Day Shred level 1 yesterday just to DO something the day after that monster run, and I'm still a little sore today :( We'll see how it goes!</div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-47547229305148359402009-05-03T12:02:00.000-07:002009-05-03T12:21:47.560-07:007 mile long run, omgYesterday my fellow fat kid Alissa (she's running the Rock n' Roll half with me) and I set off on our long run for the week - seven miles. I thought the <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/wa/renton/512328032">Lake Youngs Trail,</a> near my house, sounded like a good run. Of course, I did not look at a topo map before we went. It was constant rolling hills, the entire way. And they were not small hills. We were both DYING at the end - we probably only did about 6.5 miles running, but I'm pretty sure a flat 7 would have been WAY easier so I'm happy. It was a good, but painful, training experience. I'm sure consuming a few of these last weekend (and ALOT of other stuff) and not running didn't help:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Sf3ubDyJU3I/AAAAAAAAAFo/Gzkr6LSX-CE/s1600-h/IMG_0960.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Sf3ubDyJU3I/AAAAAAAAAFo/Gzkr6LSX-CE/s320/IMG_0960.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331679682516046706" border="0" /></a>Yes, that is a pitcher of Long Island with a straw....because I drank it myself. Then had 1.5 more. At $6.75 each, it's pretty hard to pass up. Behind it you can see Houghton's famous lift bridge.<br /><br />Next week I'll be in Michigan for a friend's wedding, so the plan is to do a flat 7 there and then the next week Alissa and I will hit up <a href="http://www.seattle.gov/Parks/park_detail.asp?id=307">Green Lake</a> for a solid 8 mile run. Less than two months to go!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-82861517121966521732009-04-29T13:19:00.000-07:002009-04-29T20:29:02.045-07:002009 milestones, onward! And almonds.<div>Great news - I am officially a Project Management Professional! So far in 2009 I have ran my first 10k and became a certified PMP - awesome! My next scheduled accomplishment? Running the <a href="http://www.rnrseattle.com/">Seattle Rock N' Roll Half Marathon</a>! Which, by the way, is now sold out, so I feel even cooler. Yes, I took the plunge and am currently training for it. This weekend I have a seven mile long run slated, and have resumed personal training twice weekly to stregthen my muscles.<br /><div><br />To celebrate passing my PMP exam, and much to the detriment of half marathon training, I spent this past weekend in Houghton, MI at my alma matter, <a href="http://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Tech</a>. Since it's in the middle of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, it is very small town with little to do, and everything is SUPER cheap. This sets the stage for a pretty crazy drunkfest when you plop a college down. Even crazier when you return as alumni that is not broke and doesn't have the responsibility of school to worry about. We, along with numerous other alumni, visited for the annual <a href="http://www.mtulodearchives.com/index.php?issuedate=&section=12&artid=392">Senior Walk</a>, basically a school-wide bar crawl. I'll just say we packed alot of fun into the weekend, and I am glad to be back in WA as a functioning adult.</div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Sfi7ne3hNPI/AAAAAAAAAFg/TnmTz_9TO-c/s1600-h/emeraldcocoaalmonds.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330216445968200946" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 123px; height: 224px;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/Sfi7ne3hNPI/AAAAAAAAAFg/TnmTz_9TO-c/s320/emeraldcocoaalmonds.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Mmmm I just finished my afternoon snack. <a href="http://www.emeraldnuts.com/">Emerald Cocoa Roasted Almonds</a> are pretty much the best thing ever. I'm normally not a dark chocolate person, but these are super addictive. Weirdly they remind me of chocolate Teddy Grahams. Best of all, they have the same basic stats as plain almonds - 150 cals for a quarter cup, since they're essentially just roasted almonds tossed with cocoa powder. I lovelovelove sweet stuff, and these help satisfy that craving.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-69035927218878421892009-04-11T09:11:00.000-07:002009-04-11T09:38:14.658-07:00Back with some tasty recent creations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SeDDrR-SCpI/AAAAAAAAAFI/pblND1_DqR0/s1600-h/IMG_0957.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 173px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SeDDrR-SCpI/AAAAAAAAAFI/pblND1_DqR0/s320/IMG_0957.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323469907878349458" border="0" /></a><br />Last weekend I really had a hankering for something bad for me (mac and cheese), so I decided to try a new vegan mac recipe I had been hearing about for awhile. We also happened to have all the ingredients in the house, so that helped alot. Vegan Guinea Pig posted <a href="http://veganguineapig.blogspot.com/2009/03/soy-free-gluten-free-vegan-mac-cheese.html">this super-easy recipe</a> that does NOT include nutritional yeast, which many people don't enjoy. In a million years I would have never thought raw cashews, potatoes, onions, carrots, and a few spices could create a convincing cheese sauce, but I was WRONG! This was freakin' amazing. Even better than Veganomicon's Mac Daddy. I must admit, I did add about a quarter cup of nutritional yeast flakes because I was worried the sauce would lack flavor. In summary: yum yum yum! Make this, especially because it is not horrible for you.<br /><br />The veggie mac got me in my cooking groove, so early this week I decided I really wanted to make some Kung Pao tofu. If definitely turned into an experiment with many variables, but a tasty experiment in the end. First off, I decided to pop my frozen tofu cherry. I'd had<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1410/617404470_0f9d60e22a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 154px; height: 223px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1410/617404470_0f9d60e22a.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> some Trader Joe's super firm tofu chillin' in our freezer for a few months. The stuff is great normally, and freezing definitely took the texture to a whole new level. After thawing, I thought I'd bake it for awhile, to save some of the calories associated with frying. I whipped up a quick marinade and baked the tofu strips for 15 minutes on each side at 350F.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Marinade:</span><br />(all measurements extremely approximate)<br />-1/4 c. sweet chili sauce<br />-1/4 c. BBQ sauce<br />-2 T. soy sauce<br />-2 T. rice vinegar<br />-1 t. toasted sesame oil<br />-1 t. Sriracha chili sauce<br /><br />After baking and cutting into cubes, I fried the tofu briefly to give it a nice crunchy exterior. I then stir fried some veggies with a tiny bit of oil, and added the tofu when they were done. My Kung Pao sauce closely mirrored my marinade, with just about half the amount of BBQ sauce. Basically, I was supposed to use hoisin sauce instead of BBQ, but we didn't have any. I thought this would be an acceptable substitute, and it worked pretty well. I sprinkled the final product with peanuts and it was good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SeDG0B4JqmI/AAAAAAAAAFY/3uHUdxFkDvE/s1600-h/IMG_0958.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SeDG0B4JqmI/AAAAAAAAAFY/3uHUdxFkDvE/s320/IMG_0958.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323473356711373410" border="0" /></a><br />Life is pretty busy in general right now until I take the PMP exam on the 21st. I am pumped to be done with that and get my fat raise!!!Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-46904135375476791052009-04-02T14:10:00.000-07:002009-04-02T14:27:13.339-07:00Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake: reviewed<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SdUr0IM2n7I/AAAAAAAAAFA/GnIGXGNj2Lo/s1600-h/kashi-tuscan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320206709362696114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SdUr0IM2n7I/AAAAAAAAAFA/GnIGXGNj2Lo/s320/kashi-tuscan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This (and all other Kashi entrees) was on sale at our local (and AMAZING!) Target for about $3 so I decided to give it a go. Kashi entrees go for $4-5 at other grocery stores I've noticed, so that's a pretty good deal. Yes, still kind of expensive, but when the alternative is me being lazy and going out for lunch, it is quite cheap. </div><br /><div></div>It was worth it! This was sooooo tasty. It also has some very impressive nutritional stats. Pretty filling, too, for a frozen meal. Kashi's black bean mango meal is totally tiny, so I was glad this didn't have that problem. Basically it is a slice of veggie lasagna. It also had a sort of creaminess to it, which is interesting considering it is vegan. Overall, very flavorful, exactly the right amount of sauce, and is all natural - none of the chemical crap that's normally in this kind of stuff. Still, I would recommend bringing along some fruit or vegetable as a side at the very least; maybe two sides. I work 10-hr days so I can't have small lunches! I will definitely buy this again if the price is right!<br /><div></div>Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6867786629455499451.post-87751490285383102332009-04-01T18:48:00.000-07:002009-04-01T18:26:49.854-07:00Asiana Pasta<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SZomdiOA2XI/AAAAAAAAAEI/XOOL5EvhyYs/s1600-h/IMG_0932.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_G5fLMppFBZ4/SZomdiOA2XI/AAAAAAAAAEI/XOOL5EvhyYs/s320/IMG_0932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303593800025823602" border="0" /></a>This is what a weeknight dinner looks like when I have a bunch of leftover stuff and zero desire to create a culinary masterpiece. In this case, it was half a bag of frozen mixed veggies and some seitan strips. Since my theory is that everything tastes awesome covered in peanut sauce, I give you......Asiana Pasta!<br /><br />I cooked up some whole wheat spaghetti noodles, added the frozen veggies and seitan, then tossed everything with the easiest peanut sauce EVER. A touch of grated carrots gave the dish a nice fresh crunch and burst of color.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lindsay's Weeknight Peanut Sauce</span><br />Serves 2-4, depending on how fat kid/hungry you are<br />-1/2 c. smooth peanut butter<br />-2 T. soy sauce<br />-2 T. rice vinegar<br />-1/4-1/2 c. water, depending on how thick you like your sauce<br />-1/2 t. of all the following: garlic powder, ground ginger, crushed red pepper flakes<br /><br />Mix it all together and pop in the microwave for about a minute, maybe two. Stir well before serving. That's it! Adjust all of these measurements to taste; it's a pretty forgiving recipe.<br /><br /><br /><br />Sorry I've sucked at posting lately. Work has picked up quite a bit, and I'm busy studying for the <a href="http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/AboutPMIsCredentials.aspx">PMP</a> (Project Management Professional) Exam on April 21st. I have not forgotten my blog, though, fear not! I shall be back with a vengeance soon enough.Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12153815195805934833noreply@blogger.com0